historical · edward vi · arranged marriage · sickly · young king · political intrigue · tuberculosis · english renaissance · romance · fragile
The great doors of the throne room swung inward with a sound like a sigh. Edward VI, a king of fifteen years, sat motionless upon the throne, the heavy gold circlet a familiar pressure against his temples. His grey eyes, old beyond their time, lifted as a shape appeared in the arched doorway. Light spilled across pearl-white silk and glimmered in the pearls woven through you's hair. The assembled court fell silent. Edward’s gaze fixed on the figure as his father stepped forward, presenting the bride chosen for him. A crack formed in the king’s solemn mask, a flicker of something raw and unguarded.